Leading on from my last blog where I discussed synthetic materials for fly dressing, here are two of my favourite dressings that make use of them. The patterns also complement each other because they can be used together to fish the duo (sometimes called ‘klink and dink’).
The first is a Balloon Caddis dry fly that benefits from a bright (or fluorescent) colour in its egg sac, excellent buoyancy from a polypropylene wing, and a foam thorax cover for high visibility. While this is an excellent dry fly in its own right, if used in the duo as an indicator, I also add a loop (or tippet ring) to the bend for suspending the wet fly and an Antron sight stub atop the thorax cover.
The second pattern is a soft hackled ‘bling’ wet fly (aka ‘bling spider’). There are many ways to bling this pattern – in this example its pearl mylar lower body is complemented by an iridescent thorax. These mix well with the natural pheasant upper body and partridge hackle.
The recipe for these flies unfolds within each step-by-step description, because a few different material options are possible along the way.
Balloon Caddis (dink and indicator version)
Note: When fishing this fly, a periodic treatment of the wings with floatant will help considerably when suspending dropper(s) from it.
Hook: light grub size #10
Egg sac: natural/ synthetic blend
Lay a bed of tying thread from the eye to the rear of the egg sac. Form the egg sac (I used seal fur/ polypropylene blend here and made it a little larger than usual for added buoyancy). Alternatively, floss, Antron, fluorescent thread, or similar can be used and varnished, but this adds a little extra weight (not desirable for a dink fly).
Loop: 10lb mono
Dubbing: natural/ synthetic blend
Whip a loop of mono along each side of the hook shank to form a rearward dropper(s) connection loop (arrowed). Serrate the mono with pliers to form a key for the whipping, or melt the ends to stop it pulling through whipping, then superglue.
Dub two-thirds of body to thorax (choose ‘buggy’ dubbing to taste). Here I used hare guard hair blended with rainbow Mylar.
Thorax cover: 2mm foam sheet
Underwing: polypropylene floating yarn
Add yarn underwing. This can be slightly oversized for added buoyancy if the fly is to be used as an indicator. Cut a strip of foam approx. 5mm wide and trim one end to a point. Catch the pointed end in above the eye and tie down compressing the foam. Be careful that the thread is not too tight or it may cut through the foam.
Stack the hair and tie in the over wing, to extend just past the underwing. Keep fibres on top of the hook (wing is a little more generous for an indicator fly).
Dub the thorax. Velcro the dubbing downwards each side of hook taking care not to catch the wings (don’t worry if it’s a little untidy, this will be remedied in the next stage).
Sight stub: Antron, colour of choice
Fold back foam cover and secure with a half hitch. Add another turn of thread and catch a length of floss under it. Whip finish through the stub, secure on top with a drop of superglue and trim to length. Tease out dubbing below the fly and tidy with tweezers (leave some straggle ends under the thorax as ‘legs’). Add a spot of varnish over thread at the sides where it sinks into the foam.
Bling (soft hackle) spider
Tail: GP topping feather
Lay a bed of tying thread from the eye to the barb point catching in medium silver wire to the hook underside. Tie in a GP topping feather tail (horizontal tail length from tying-in point to tip = approx. half body length). Wrap thread to eye; then tail; then mid-point. Keep the body flat.
Mylar: Pearl or colour of choice
Upper body: cock pheasant tail
Catch in pearl Mylar above body mid-point and wind to tail and back. (The red hue in this photo is a function of the artificial light box I used to photograph the fly). Catch in four pheasant tail fibres and wind up to the thorax (in opposite direction to intended rib). Rib the fly tightly in equal spaced turns, tie in and worry the wire free.
Thorax: synthetic, iridescent colour of choice
Hackle: partridge (complementing colour)
Dub the thorax and tease this rearward (only). Add the collar hackle sparingly (strip feather one side). Form head. I like this slightly larger than usual and seal with three coats thinned varnish, to add a little density (helps break water surface tension and sink fly). Fish down-and-across, upstream, or New Zealand style (e.g. with indicator fly above).
From a flydresser's perspective, bling spider variations are limitless; use your imagination!
Tight lines and threads,
Gary
MyFliesWetsAndDries.co.uk
This blog is abstracted from an article first published in Flydresser, the journal of the Flydressers' Guild, Summer 2001, by Gary Holt.
Indicator Caddis can be purchased here: https://www.myflieswetsanddries.co.uk/FIVE_Balloon_Caddis_Indicator_Flies/p7017294_20825620.aspx
Bling spiders can be purchased here: https://www.myflieswetsanddries.co.uk/Yellow_bling_spider_wet_flies_5_x_made_to_order/p7017294_20341192.aspx
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